In a landmark judgment that has been hailed by campaigners worldwide, Sierra Leone’s Supreme Court has ruled that child marriage is unconstitutional, setting a precedent for West Africa where the practice remains endemic. The verdict, delivered on July 19, was preceded by years of activism and legal reforms funded in part by UK aid. Yet for the millions of girls at risk, the real test lies ahead.
The court declared that any marriage involving a person under 18 violates the country’s charter on fundamental rights, which guarantees equality and freedom from inhuman treatment. The plaintiffs included two young women who were forced into marriage as children, and the case was supported by organisations like the Sierra Leonean NGO BRAC and the UK-based Equality Now. British taxpayers contributed £1.2 million to a legal reform programme that helped strengthen Sierra Leone’s judicial capacity to handle such cases.
“This is not just a victory for Sierra Leone but for every girl who has been told her body is not her own,” said Amina Koroma, a 19-year-old activist in Freetown who was married at 14. “But we are watching. Words on a paper do not fill a belly or stop a father from taking money for his daughter.”
The judgment is particularly significant given that Sierra Leone has one of the highest child marriage rates in the world. UNICEF data from 2020 shows that 39 per cent of girls in the country are married before age 18, and 13 per cent before age 15. Poverty, lack of education and deeply rooted patriarchal norms fuel the practice. Girls are often viewed as economic assets, with bride prices that can exceed a family’s annual income.
The UK’s role in funding legal reforms has drawn praise but also scrutiny from anti-poverty campaigners. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has provided £500 million in aid to Sierra Leone since 2015, with a portion directed at rule of law and gender equality programmes. Critics, however, argue that such cutting-edge legal victories mean little if the state cannot enforce them.
“We have seen similar laws in other African nations that remain dead letters because police, magistrates and communities continue to turn a blind eye,” said Dr. Fatmata Bangura, a lecturer in gender studies at the University of Makeni. “Without a serious push for grassroots change via education and economic opportunities for girls, the judgment will be a photo opportunity, not a lifeline.”
The government has promised to strengthen enforcement mechanisms and allocate resources to community awareness campaigns. But in a country where the average teacher earns £80 a month and the healthcare system is crumbling, the gap between legal ambition and daily reality is vast. The cost of living crisis has deepened poverty, pushing more families towards marrying off daughters to reduce household costs.
For UK observers, the case raises uncomfortable questions about the effectiveness of aid when it targets legal infrastructure without tackling the underlying economic drivers of inequality. “This government loves to trumpet ‘global Britain’ and its help for girls’ education,” said Labour MP Preet Gill, shadow international development secretary. “But if a girl in Sierra Leone is still hungry and her family is still desperate, the law alone cannot save her.
“We need a comprehensive approach: proper funding for schools, social protection, and measures that address the cost of living that pushes families into such choices.”
The judgment is expected to face challenges in rural areas where customary law often overrides statutory law. But for now, girls like Amina Koroma are daring to hope. “I will not let my daughter be married before she knows what love is,” she said. “But I need the world to see that poverty is the real enemy.”
